Expansion-valve for refrigerating apparatus.



No. 785,265.V PATBNTBD MAR. 2l, 1905.

A.` T. MARSHALL. EXPANSION VALVE FOR. REFRGERATINGAPPARATUS.

AP'PLIGATION FILED MARA, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented March 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT T. MARSHALL, OF SWAMPSOOTT. MASSACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR To FEDERAL AUTO MATIO REFRIGERATING co., OF NEW YORK, N. A OORFORATION OF NEw JERSEY.

EXPANSION-VALVE FOR REFRIGERAT'ING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,265, dated March 21, 1905. Application filed March 4, 1904. Serial No. 196,481.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Expansion-Valve for Refrigerating Apparatus, of which the following isaspecication.

This invention relates to an automaticallycontrolled valve for regulating the admission of anhydrous ammonia or other refrigerating medium to the expansion-coils of a refrigerating apparatus.

The especial object of this invention is to provide a strong, simple, and inexpensive expansion-valve in which a needle-valve control is obtained by means of parts which are selfcentering and are not liable to be twisted or turned out of coperative relation and in which all moving parts are completely inclosed.

To these ends this invention consists Of the automatic expansion-valvev for refrigerating apparatus and of the combinations of parts therein, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of an automatic expansionvalve for refrigerating apparatus constructed according to this invention, and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of suiicient parts of a refrigerating apparatus to illustrate the application of my expansion-valve thereto.

1n United States Letters Patent No. 549,426, granted November 5, 1895, in the name of Alexander T. Ballantine, a refrigerating apparatus is disclosed which employs an expansion-valve of the same type as the valve forming the subject-matter of this invention. The especial object of this invention is to improve the construction shown in this patent by providing an automatic Valve in which the moving parts are inclosed within the casing and in which the valve-stem and val ve-seat are carried by parts which are self-centering and are fastened in place to insure the maintenance of correct cooperative relation.

Referring to the drawings for a detail description of an expansion-valve constructed according tOthis invention, as shown in Fig. 2, A designates the reservoir or chamber for containing theliquefed refrigerating medium. From the chamber A the refrigerating medium passes through the expansion-valve V to the expansion-coil C. From the expansioncoil C theammonia or other refrigerating medium is drawn by a pump P, which may be runvby a motor M, and the ammonia is compressed in condensing-coils D. which may be inclosed in a tank, so that the cycle is completed bythe return of the liquefied ammonia to the storage-chamber.

The expansion -valve, as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 1, consists, essentially, of a diaphragm-chamber formed by two castings or pieces 10 and 11. The castings 10 and 11 are clamped together by bolts 12, so as to fasten between them van ordinary flat disk diaphragm. Extending through the diaphragm is a center screw 18, having an annular pocket .for receiving the lower end of the spring 14. :Thespring 14 is compressed by a collar 15,

Whichis held from turning by a tongue or key 16 fitting into a vertical groove 17. Threaded into the nut 15 is an adjusting-screw 18, which extends up through a suitable stufngbox or gland and is provided at its upper end with a wrench-section for turning or adjusting the same when it is desired to regulate the feed of the refrigerating medium or the pressure at which the valve will close.

The expansion-valve may be supported in a bracket 19, in which the section 10 is fastened by small clamping-bolts.

The lower section 11 of the valve-casing is provided with opposed bosses or enlargements, which are bored out in line with each other. Extending transversely through the lower section 11 of the valve-casing is a pipe 20,Which has both an inlet-passage and an outlet passage for the refrigerating medium. As shown, the transverse pipe 2O is preferably made by boring out a rod to provide an inlet-passage 21, which terminates in a downwardly-facing valve-seat, and also by boring out the pipe 20 to form the outlet-passage 22. By means of this construction a single pipe is used both for the inlet and outlet passages of the valve.

In the use of an expansion-valve of this type it is especially important that the valve-seat should be held from twisting or turning, and I accomplish this purpose by providing the pipe 20 with a collar 23, having an extending pin engaging a socket drilled in the valve-casing 11. This forms, in effect, asimple and eiilicient construction for keying or locking the pipe 20, so as to hold the same from turning.

Threaded onto the center screw 13, which extends down through the diaphragm, is a plunger or operating-piece 24.` This plunger is cylindrical in form and is guided by the side walls of the valve-casing 11, although it preferably fits somewhat looselytherein. By

iitting the piece 24 loosely in the valve-casing 11 a suiiicient space is left so that the outlet pressure will act on the under side of the diaphragm. The plungerior operating-piece 24 is provided with a transverse cylindrical hole 25, through which the pipe 2O passes. Threaded into the plunger or piece 24 is a valve-stem 26, which is locked in place by a lock-nut 27. By means of this construction the valve-stem will be freely enough mounted to be self-centerbe guided in its up-and-down movement by the side walls of the valve-casing. In actual practice I have found that this provides a cheap and reliable self-centering valve-stem. The lower end of the casing ll is closed by a packing-collar or washer, which is fastened in place by a bottom-cap 28.

I am aware that changes may be made in the proportions and details of parts of an automatic expansion-valve constructed according tov this invention without departing from the scope thereof as expressed in the claims. I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the form I have herein shown and described; but yWhat I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, isd

l. As an article of manufacture, an automatic expansion-valve for refrigerating apparatus comprising a diaphragm-casing, a diaphragm mounted therein and acted upon on mg, while at the same time the plunger willv one side by the pressure of the refrigerating medium, and upon the other side by a spring inclosed within the diaphragm-casing and tending to move the diaphragm in the opposite direction, a pipe extending transversely into the diaphragm-casing and containingboth the inlet and outlet passages for the refrigerating medium, a collar upon the pipe with a pin extending therefrom which engages a socket in the casing to hold the pipe from turning, an operating-piece or plunger extending down from the diaphragm. said operating-piece or plunger having a cylindrical hole through which the pipe passes, and a valve-stem threaded into the operating-piece and having a pointed valve at its upper end so as to be self-centering with respect to its valve-seat.

2. As an article of manufacture, an automatic valve for refrigerating apparatus cornprising a diaphragm casing, a diaphragm mounted therein and acted upon on one side by pressure of the refrigerating medi-um, a coiled spring inclosed within the diaphragmcasing and tending to move the diaphragm in the opposite direction, an adjusting-collar for `said spring and having a key engaging a slot 'extending part way through the walls of the diaphragm-casing, a pipe extending transversely into the diaphragm-casing and containing both the inlet and outlet passages for the refrigerating medium, a collar on the pipe with a pin extending therefrom and engaging a socket in the casing to prevent the pipe from turning, an operating-piece or plunger extending down from the diaphragm, said operatingpiece or plunger having a cylindrical hole through which the pipe passes and a valvestem threaded into the operating-piece and having a pointed valve so as to be self-.centering with respect to the valve-seat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT T. MARSHALL.

Vitnesses:

PHILIP W. SoU'rHGA'rn, Louis W. SOUTHGATE. 

